Archives for July 2015

I’m sure there’s no need to introduce today’s featured opponents: Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, but just Hillary vs. Trumpin case, both are running for President in the upcoming 2016 elections. Miss Clinton proudly wears blue in the Democratic Party, while Trump trumpets the Republican Party, even though some aren’t sure he is.

Suffice it to say, these two are opposites.

But before we jump into this article, let’s make it clear that we aren’t here to discuss politics or get into the nitty gritty of anything besides how their Twitter accounts are being managed. What’s working? What’s not?

As a social media professional who’s been in the game since 2009 and worked with many different industries, take my word when I say, there probably isn’t a harder industry to manage than politicians. So all my feedback and comparison isn’t a reflection on the people gutsy enough to manage them, but more so on strategy in general.

With these Twitter accounts – the goal is clear – they want to win the election! But the accounts also serve as branding venues for the candidates, which enables them to share more about who they are, connect with voters, promote their events, and get involved in conversations that mention them (the good ones).

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you make them feel.” Maya Angelou

In the social media marketing community, there are a lot of strategies we use to connect with our audience, multiple ways in which we share content, and different content types we utilize to share a brand’s story.

But there is none as important as the element of emotions in all that we do, specifically, storytelling. Maya Angelou knew that what connects us runs much deeper than our words or actions, it’s the human connection that makes us bond, makes us fall in love, and endears us to anything in life.

This human connection is emotions and the imparting of it in how we connect with one another online.

About a month ago, I presented a keynote at the Social Media Strategies Summit in NYC about this very topic, and I want to break it down for you because this message explains the foundational element of social media, how we use it to interact, how it assists us to develop relationships, and inevitably promote our businesses.

Take a moment with me to think of the people most loved in your life. See their faces, remember their voices, the way they look when they’re happy, the things they like and those they do not. I bet these people have an abundance of excellent character traits, but when it comes down to it, it’s how they make you feel about yourself or how you feel around them that makes them so special. [Read more…]